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Getting to know ... Martin Gerber

From rather humble beginnings in Switzerland, goaltender Martin Gerber has made a career for himself in the National Hockey League.

Now in his third season between the pipes for the Ottawa Senators, Gerber took time to answer a few questions about his hockey past. And a whole lot more.

Senators goaltender Martin Gerber has come a long way since his humble hockey beginnings in Switzerland. It's been a fun journey along the way since then (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images).

Q: Tell me about your first pair of goalie pads.A: Those were very, very old ones. Leather, brown, not too much padding. I think they were Coopers. I was 12 when I had those. After awhile, I got a pair where you could actually read the label on them. A few years after, I had my first pair with two colours. That was a huge thing.

Q: Tell me about the first arena where you played hockey.A: That was in Langnau, my home town. It was an interesting place. Really cold, it was an old arena, 50 years old, even more. They had a butchery beside it and had the half-cut cows hanging beside the main entrance. They had them on hooks so they came out and went back in. That’s what you got to see when you went to the rink.

Q: If you weren’t a goaltender, what position would you like to play?A: Centre. You get to be a playmaker and you can dictate stuff. That would be something that I’d really love to do.

Q: If you could achieve anything in hockey, what would it be?A: Of course, going all the way here in Ottawa definitely would be one of my dreams. Being better in any possible way. Scoring a goal would be something nice. Stuff like that.

Q: If you weren’t a hockey player, what would you be doing?A: I’m pretty sure I’d be laying bricks or something like that.

Q: If you could improve one aspect of your game, what would it be?A: It’s always good to improve your whole game. If you can elevate your game 5-10 per cent, that would be huge.

Going all the way here in Ottawa definitely would be one of my dreams.- Martin Gerber

Q: If you could sign any player in the world to play for the Senators, who would it be?A: If you could get a guy like (the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Evgeni) Malkin, it would be really fun for everybody. Or Joey Thornton. He’s probably the best puck-moving guy.

Q: If you could play any other sport for a living, what would it be?A: Maybe snowboarding, but I don’t want to be cold every day. I’d say something like tennis. I think tennis would be pretty good.